Mossburn Vintage Casks No. 10

This comes from a distillery that typically only sources its malts for blends and third-party bottlings, like Mossburn. This expression was distilled at Auchroisk (Speyside) in 2007, and then "aged in cask" by Mossburn for 11 years. The labels indicate "Cask Bill HHD". I inquired with Mossburn via email and was quickly told that these are refill ex-bourbon Hogsheads. My bottling date is 23.08.2018. Nose: From the bottle: Sweet and mild. Malt, apples, caramel, honey, herbal, vanilla, with ex-bourbon cask influence. Neat, in the glass: Heavy malt with overpowering alcohol that masks most other scents. Likely not intended for smelling neat. With water (a few drops): Doesn't open up much; it hardly changes at all. This clearly needs a lot more. With a spoonful of water (per dram): Now this is more like it. Pleasantly malty, tastes like apple cider, with a nice amount of caramel and honey, some herbal notes, plus vanilla, and faint cask. Well balanced. It smells like a mix between a Glenfiddich and a Macallan, so basically Speyside meets Highland. I like it. Taste: Neat: Malt and alcohol overpower everything. It's also somewhat sour. Definitely not intended for tasting neat. With water (a few drops): Just like the nose, this doesn't help much. We need to go deeper... With a spoonful of water (per dram): Bingo. Now this is a proper whisky. Initially on the fruity (apple cider) and sweet side (caramel, honey, vanilla), gradually shifting to green tea and other herbs. Once again, it's like a blend of Glenfiddich and Macallan. It's not exceptional, but it's still a decent dram. Finish: Neat: Again, this is clearly not meant for neat consumption. The finish is sour and even a bit bitter. Add water immediately. With water (a few drops): See above! With a spoonful of water (per dram): Even with this amount, the finish is somewhat short and lacking. It's still a nice blend of Speyside and Highland, but it's simply so thin that it's barely present. The ex-bourbon oak influence is surprisingly mild. Where did the 11 years go? This is absolutely not what one expects from cask strength. Final thoughts: Considering everything, this is really more of a DIY kit than a standalone single malt whisky. It should therefore be approached accordingly. If you're looking to experiment with cask strength then yes, it's worth it. Otherwise, you might want to stick with proper malts straight from the bottle.